Eagle
Real Name: Eagle Case: '''Animal Skills/Cadaver Dogs '''Location: '''Michigan '''Date: 1999 to 2001 Case Details: Eagle is a Doberman Pinscher owned by Sandra Anderson. He has the amazing talent of locating human bones, murder weapons, and other clues that archaeologists and detectives cannot. He has helped law enforcement solve puzzling cases. One day in 1999, Eagle was in Lapeer County, Michigan, teaching police officers how to search the riverbanks for human remains when he began barking. An investigator went to the area and found a fleshy human clavicle. The discovery triggered an exhaustive search of the area by Lapeer County Sheriff's deputies. Over the next two days, Eagle and the investigators found eight more human bones, all belonging to an unidentified adult male. They determined that the bones of the man had been run through an wood chipper, suggesting that he was murdered. For years, investigators have tried to identify the man by placing his DNA into several databases. So far, no matches have been made. Lapeer County investigators are still hoping for new leads. If it weren't for Eagle, however, the remains likely would have never been found in the first place. Another case Eagle has worked on involved thirty-seven-year-old Tracy Islam and her husband Azizul. In December of 1999, the couple's marriage was disintegrating. On December 20, Azizul told their children that she had gone back to England. On December 22, a dismembered body was found in a restaurant dumpster. A week later, a bag of trash was found in a field with the torso from a heavyset woman. Police suspected that the remains belonged to Tracy. They went to her home and obtained her toothbrush for a DNA sample. They then brought Eagle and his owner Sandra to the Islam home. Eagle began barking at a carpet in the basement. They pulled it up and found blood that matched Tracy's. Paint chips found in the basement were also found to match paint chips on Tracy's body. Azizul Islam was arrested and charged with her murder. Police believe that he killed her after he overheard a conversation between her and her new boyfriend. He was convicted of first-degree murder, thanks in part to Eagle the dog. Eagle has been able to help find missing people in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisiana, and Panama and continues to help law enforcement agencies. Nobody knows how Eagle or other cadaver dogs have such a special ability. Extra Notes: The case was featured as a part of the July 11, 2001 episode. A similar dog featured was Yogi the Bloodhound. Results: Solved. Investigators became suspicious of Sandra and Eagle after they learned that some of the DNA from the bones "found" by Eagle did not match the missing persons to whom they supposedly belonged. A woman came forward claiming that Sandra had distracted some investigators and then planted several bones. In April of 2002, a police investigator saw Sandra planting human bones, and she was arrested. When police officers searched Sandra's house, they found several human bones that she obtained from a local medical examiner. Sandra Anderson pleaded guilty to planting evidence at a crime scene and making false statements. She was sentenced to twenty-one months in prison and has since been released. Sadly, although Eagle's skills might have been genuine yet exploited, he has since passed away due to heart disease. Dr. Islam appealed his conviction, claiming that evidence planted by Sandra influenced the jury's verdict. Indeed, a hacksaw with blood on it was found in the Islam basement; the blood belonged to Sandra. However, other blood and physical evidence found in the basement was found to match Tracy. Furthermore, the jury never heard about blood being found on the hacksaw in the first place. Other physical and circumstantial evidence linked Dr. Islam to his wife's murder and his conviction was upheld. Links: * Eagle on Unsolved Archive * Azizul Islam almost got away with it * Dog-handler pleads guilty * Bones of Contention * Cadaver dog handler charged with rigging evidence searches * Dog-handler sentenced for planting fake evidence * Michigan dog handler gets 21 months for planting evidence * People v. Azizul Islam (2007) ---- Category:Ohio Category:Michigan Category:Indiana Category:Wisconsin Category:Louisiana Category:1999 Category:2001 Category:Unusual Phenomenon Cases Category:Suspicious Deaths Category:Murder Category:Disappearances Category:Solved